Russia will not allow any nation to dominate it in military terms, the Russian president said. Some nations are developing new kinds of weapons, which may tip the global strategic balance, but Russia knows how to counter them.

“Let no one have illusions that he can achieve military
superiority over Russia. We will never allow it,” Vladimir
Putin said in a speech
to the Federal Assembly, the joint session of the two chambers of
the Russian parliament.

Of particular concern for Russia are the elements of the US-built
national anti-ballistic missile system defense (AMD), which it
plans to deploy in Europe. The project was for years justified by
the perceived threat from countries like Iran. The controversy
over Iran’s nuclear program may soon be settled, but the AMD goes
on as planned, Putin pointed out.

“We realize clearly that the AMD system is only called
defensive, while in fact it is a significant part of the
strategic offensive potential,” he stressed.

Moscow’s objections to European AMD and Washington’s failure to
guarantee that it would not be targeted against Russia, have long
mired bilateral relations.

But apart from the military aspect, the future system also serves
America’s desire to stop Europe drifting away and bond it closer,
Aleksey Pushkov, the chair of the Foreign Affairs committee in
the Russian parliament, told RT.

“The NATO bond is becoming weaker and weaker. Very few
European countries are fulfilling their financial obligations
towards NATO,” he said, citing complaints by the alliance
chief, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during the latest Munich security
conference.

“The United States desperately needs Europe as its ally. And
AMD is probably designed to supply such a bond,” Pushkov
added. “But this cannot be explained this way. It looks like
militarization – which it is. So you have to invent and say it’s
about North Korea or Iran.”

Putin also added that Moscow monitors the development of new
kinds of weapons by other nations, including small-yield tactical
nuclear weapons, conventional precision strategic missiles and
hypersonic precision weapons.

The latter may give technological means for a so-called
“decapitating strike” a massive surprise attack on a nation’s key
infrastructure, including strategic missile silos, communication
hubs or government buildings, which in theory would do enough
damage to avoid a massive retaliation nuclear strike.

“If all those plans are realized, it may cause a very
negative effect on regional and global stability. Other nation’s
build-up of conventional precision strategic systems combined
with the increase of the AMD capabilities may nullify all
previous agreements on the limitation and reduction of strategic
nuclear weapons and tip the strategic balance of power,”
Putin said.

He was apparently alluding to the New START, the 2010 nuclear
reduction treaty between Russia and the US, which was praised as
one of major foreign policy victories during Barack Obama’s first
term.

The treaty was signed amid conflict over the European part of the
AMD system. Instead of settling the issue, Moscow and Washington
agreed to go with the deal and discuss the antimissile shield
later. So far no compromise has been found.

“We realize all this and know what we need to do,” Putin
warned.

The Russian military is putting a lot of resources into
developing new nuclear strategic missiles as well as its launch
systems, including nuclear-powered submarines and strategic
bombers. It is also laying out plans to create an integrated
space-based system for global real-time reconnaissance and
targeting, which would improve Russia’s ability to use its
nuclear arsenal, the Russian president said.

“Russia will respond to all the challenges, both political
and technological. We have all the necessary potential,” was
his assurance.

Putin’s comments were mirrored by similar statements from
Deputy-PM Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the Russian military and
defense industry. He too warned that Russia has the mean to
defend itself from advanced and future weapons.

“Any aggressor has to realize that whatever he does in terms
anti-ballistic missile defense or the attempts to reach
hypersonic speeds to deliver precision weapons, to neutralize
Russia’ nuclear potential, it would be nothing more than an
illusion, and will stay that way. We are not going to sit
idle,” he told journalists.

He added that unlike Soviet Union, Russia would not allow to be
dragged into costly arms race and will maintain military parity
through asymmetrical means.

The military modernization program that the Russian government is
currently implementing has allocated $700 billion to be spent by
2020.